


Ladybug's Simp Squad

by LycoRogue



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Inspired by Fanart, No Spoilers, carpisuns art, miraculousmolls commentary also helped inspire, post-season 3 finale, simp (nonderogatory), stealing muses again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:54:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29967372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LycoRogue/pseuds/LycoRogue
Summary: Marinette walks into a heated debate between Adrien and Alya: which one of them is Ladybug's #1 simp.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 85





	Ladybug's Simp Squad

**Author's Note:**

  * For [carpisuns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/carpisuns/gifts).



> I was NOT expecting this story to be so large. But it is me, so maybe I really should have been expecting it.
> 
> This story is based off of [fanart by carpisuns](https://carpisuns.tumblr.com/post/643924983876354048/chatnoirinette-they-battled-fiercely-for-the). So, as a thank you for unofficially sharing her muse, this story is dedicated to her (as well as [miraculousmolls](https://miraculousmolls.tumblr.com/), whose commentary REALLY inspired this piece). 
> 
> Also, I'm 36 and not an online gamer, so I HOPE I'm using the current use of "simp" properly in this. It is entirely used as a nonderogatory badge of honor here.

"Action figures?" Alya doubled over, holding her sides as she laughed. "I think that's the worst argument you've made yet. _Everyone_ has Ladybug action figures. And posters. And costumes. That just makes you a fanboy! You're no simp!"

Marinette cautiously neared the heated debate Alya was having with Adrien on the front steps of their school. Inching beside Nino, Marinette gestured to her best friend arguing with the love of her life. "What on Earth-?"

"Shh." Nino waved for Marinette to keep it down.

"Fine then. I assisted her by agreeing to be bait for Gorizilla, that way he would be distracted enough for Ladybug's plan to work." Adrien stood tall as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He smirked at Alya, clearly mentally telling her, "check."

"He was your own bodyguard! He tracked you clear across Paris. You would have been bait whether or not you agreed to it. Also, it wouldn't have mattered. Ladybug would have come up with a different plan if you had told her no."

"Nino," Marinette whispered, "What's going on?"

"Simp-off," he whispered back. "No offense to my best bud, but my girl has this in the bag."

"Simp-off?"

"Who's the bigger Ladybug simp."

Marinette blinked in confusion before staring at Adrien – of all people – battling Alya for this title.

Before the debate could continue, the warning bell rang.

"This isn't over, Alya." Adrien stared her down with determination.

"Whatever you say, Fanboy," Alya teased before gesturing for him to take the lead as they headed inside.

"Okay, what started that whole thing?" Marinette gestured wildly at Alya and Adrien heading towards the locker room.

"No clue." Nino shrugged and shook his head. "I got here late too. It got pretty heated just before you arrived. Told you my girl would win, though. Alya! Wait up!" He flagged Alya down and sprinted for her as she popped back out of the locker room.

Trying to figure out what could have brought the debate on in the first place, Marinette slowly wandered towards her locker.

"Simp?" Tikki whispered.

"I'm hoping they mean 'willing to do literally anything for someone'. Even so, Adrien wanting to simp for Ladybug?" Marinette dreamily sighed. Hidden inside Marinette's purse, Tikki gave a knowing glance up at her bearer.

Most of the day went fairly normally: boring classes, friendly whispers between Marinette and Alya; warm, secret discussions between Marinette, Alya, Nino, and Adrien about the possibility of hanging out on Adrien's next day off; school being interrupted by an akuma attack.

When Marinette returned to the classroom post-akuma, Alya and Adrien were already at it again.

"Just give up, Adrien, clearly even _Chloé_ is a bigger Ladybug simp than you." Alya gestured towards the mayor's daughter.

Chloé squeaked with disgust. "Excuse you! I am _no one's_ simp!"

"Oh, please, Chloé, you hardcore simp for Ladybug, and you know it." Alya sat on Adrien's desk and stared challengingly at Chloé.

Marinette choked down a shudder as she remembered the number of times Chloé cornered her as Ladybug for selfies, or made a situation worse by trying to help. Instantly, she felt a wave a guilt as she also remembered Chloé legitimately helping with Vanisher, Despair Bear, Style Queen, Malediktator, and Scarlet Moth. She truly was a good ally when given a chance.

"Not anymore!" Sabrina chimed in. "She hasn't ever since Ladybug-"

"Sabrina!" Chloé hissed.

"Oh. Right. Sorry, Chloé." Sabrina bowed her head against her chest and sheepishly slid into her seat.

"Now, _that_ poor girl is a simp," Alya muttered. "As for you, Fanboy-" Alya slid back off of Adrien's desk, and instead loomed over her friend.

"Okay, everyone is here," Ms. Bustier interrupted, "please, take your seats. You too, Alya. Please sit."

As they closed out their school day, Alya jotted down examples of her being the bigger simp in the margins of her notebook. Marinette shifted in her chair so Alya couldn't see the blush on her face. Likewise, Marinette tried to ignore Adrien's frantic scribblings as well.

Another school day on the books, Marinette left the locker room and once more walked into The Great Simp Debate already in session.

"Seriously? Again?" she whispered to Nino, who simply shrugged.

"I had sprinted towards Ladybug and tackled her out of harm's way when Riposte went after her."

"Do you have any video evidence of this happening, Fanboy?" Alya teased.

"What about video evidence that you saved her from Style Queen?" Adrien quirked an eyebrow.

"Ya know, I _was_ recording the attack when it happened. Is that still on my phone?" Alya quickly thumbed through her video gallery. A few seconds later, she deflated, bit her lip, and muttered, "Ooooh. Right. I had deleted it."

Marinette gave a curious look to Alya. She knew that girl didn't delete anything. Then it clicked: Alya never stopped recording when Ladybug offered her the Bee Miraculous. Alya probably deleted the footage to make sure her identity never got out, even if she never did actually receive the hair comb.

_I think Nino's right about Alya being the biggest Ladybug simp,_ Marinette thought with a slight blush.

"What was that?" Adrien challenged.

"Never mind! I also helped Ladybug by playing in a junkyard band to help calm Horrificator. That one I have witnesses for."

"That's because half the class also helped with that. It shouldn't count."

"Oh, yeah? Because I don't recall you helping, Adrien. Why's that?" Alya's smirk quickly morphed into a full-on 'gotcha' grin.

"I-" Adrien puffed out his chest before something dawned on him. It was his turn to deflate. "I was captured," he mumbled.

"Come again?"

"Still say the band thing shouldn't count since it wasn't just you and just about anyone could have helped with that. Doesn't mean you were simping."

Alya scoffed. "Fine. You're gonna make me break out the big guns?"

Adrien simply tilted his head in response.

"Have we forgotten that I run the Ladyblog? The blog that basically announced Ladybug to the world? Or that I have done extensive research for the Ladyblog to help Ladybug and Chat Noir find clues to de-mask Hawk Moth? Or even that I was _kidnapped for a sacrifice by Pharaoh_ while doing some of that research for the Ladyblog?"

The gathered crowd cheered for Alya's mic-drop.

_Not to mention, she was Rena Rouge,_ Marinette mentally added. As much as Marinette adored the idea of Adrien being the biggest Ladybug simp, Alya had locked it down practically from day one.

Adrien eyed up the crowd's reaction, but otherwise seemed unfazed. In fact, there was an almost cocky grin on his face that both seemed horribly out of place on _Adrien Agreste's face_ but also, seemed familiar to Marinette somehow. Her mind raced as she tried to peg which fashion ad might have had him posed with that confident smirk.

"That's it? That's your ace? Well, it's been a good battle, Alya. Too bad that I'm-" All at once, Adrien's eyes widened, his face elongated, and his mouth clamped shut. He paled in an instant and again scanned the crowd around them. He looked borderline terrified.

Marinette's eyes widened at the realization that Adrien nearly spilled the beans. His own ace in the hole: he was Aspik and had attempted to save Ladybug from Desperada over twenty-five-thousand times. Marinette quickly rethought her decision that Alya was definitely Ladybug's top simp.

"Too bad that you, what?" Alya sincerely asked. There was no mockery in her voice, instead it was laced with concern. "Adrien, you alright?"

Blinking, Adrien's color returned, and his face snapped back to his typical calm smile. "Too bad that I'm only Ladybug's second biggest simp. You really should have lead with the Ladyblog. You know I had no way to compete with that."

_Oh, Adrien,_ Marinette thought as the threat of tears stung her eyes. She recalled the pain in his voice when he gave up the Snake Miraculous and told her how many attempts he had failed. No one but Ladybug even knew Aspik ever existed, however, let alone what he had gone through. There was no way she could let Adrien know that she believed he had won that battle for Simp Supremacy.

"Yeah, I-" Alya's face scrunched in confusion, no joy from her victory reached her voice.

A car horn honked just outside the school.

"Oh, that must be my bodyguard. Good battle today, Alya, I had fun." Adrien held out his hand and offered his friend a sweet smile.

"Yeah." Alya still didn't seem convinced that she had won the battle, but she accepted his hand regardless. "It was. Try again some other time if you think you could ever surpass me." Determination returned as she gave Adrien a firm but friendly handshake. His grip tightened to meet her challenge.

"Oh, you know I will." Pulling his hand away, he gave Alya a wave. "See you tomorrow." Adrien then jogged past Nino and Marinette, quickly shouting goodbyes to them as well as he made his way to his father's town car.

"Whoa. What was that?" Nino reached under his hat to scratch his scalp.

"Weird, right?" Alya stepped up beside her boyfriend. "It definitely sounded like he had his own ace at the ready, only to pull back like that?"

"Yeah. And I don't think I've ever heard Adrien so confident and strong before." Marinette wasn't sure how she felt about that side of him.

She had always loved how soft and gentle he was, but to hear that tone while he was battling Alya? Something about it reminded her of the times he had tackled her out of harm's way; the strength that somehow made her feel safe. There was also something familiar about the cockiness and playfulness as he bantered back and forth with his friend. Marinette couldn't quite pin-point it, but it made her smile and feel at home. It certainly wasn't the Adrien she had grown to love, but something about it was exciting and new, and kind of made her love him a little bit more.

The next day was largely spent with Alya playfully teasing Adrien about his number two simp status. He was a bit pouty about it at first, but quickly grew to embrace the role. By the end of the school day, he was just as proudly proclaiming himself Ladybug's number two simp, right alongside Alya parading her number one spot.

Much of the weekend continued this trend.

"What are you doing?" Tikki hovered over Marinette's shoulder as the teen sat surrounded by red cotton-blend fabric and fleece.

Marinette's phone dinged beside her. Alya sent another picture to the group chat. Looked like she was researching the top five yo-yo freestylers in the world, and jotting down notes on how Ladybug could use their tricks for attack or defense. The picture was captioned _#1 Simps gotta simp._ Before Marinette could react, there was another ding. Alya again: _So what's the #1 fanboy doing? Playing action figures?_

It didn't take long for Adrien to respond: _Excuse me, I do believe you mean the #2 simp,_ followed by the sunglasses emoji. A couple seconds later, he sent the follow-up text: _And you're lucky I just came back from a shoot, otherwise I'd totally be doing Ladybug Simping stuff too._

Marinette blushed. She felt like she was going to burst, knowing that Adrien liked Ladybug that much. She daydreamed of transforming and swinging over to his bedroom. He'd play her something on his piano, or they would curl up together on his sofa to watch a movie, or they would fiercely battle in a game of _Ultimate Mecha Strike III,_ or she could scoop him up and run across the rooftops of Paris to show her unique view of the city to him, or they could-

"Marinette?" Tikki waved a flipper in front of Marinette's face to catch her attention. "You alright?"

Marinette smacked her cheeks to focus herself. "Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, Tikki."

"So what project do you have going on now?"

Marinette scanned her fabric-covered floor, and softly smiled. "Those two are so focused on being 'Ladybug simps', so I figured I'd surprise them with a present. Something that will let them proudly proclaim their ranks a bit easier."

It kept the whole afternoon and part of the evening, but soon enough Marinette had two freshly minted, solid red, hooded sweatshirts resting at the foot of her chaise lounge; ready for the next step. Marinette stretched and walked her room a bit to loosen up. While she wandered, she inspected her craftsmanship and stitching. Satisfied, she folded them to wait until the next day. The rest of that evening was already earmarked for patrol.

Ladybug never took into consideration how incredibly hard it would be to not gloat to Chat Noir that she had simps, and that one of them was none other than Adrien Agreste. It felt cruel though, boasting about something like that, when Chat Noir already had fears of being in her shadow and being easily replaced. Instead, Ladybug decided to slot that tidbit into her back pocket for the next time Chat Noir's ego got too inflated, and he tried to flaunt his celebrity as a superhero.

In the meantime, Ladybug could have a little private chuckle that, sadly, Alya and Adrien would both have to be bumped down in their rankings. They never factored in that Chat Noir was clearly the true number one Ladybug simp.

The next day, Marinette curled up on her chaise with an embroidery needle freshly threaded with black floss, and got to work. The kangaroo pockets still needed to be added to the sweatshirts, but first, they needed their detailing. In the center of each piece, taking up most of the pocket front, Marinette stitched a copy of her Ladybug yo-yo front: her Ladybug icon, as it were.

A little while later, she walked over to turn on her iron, then gathered the pockets and backing to seal the embroidery. As she waited for the iron to warm, she prepped her sewing machine to attach the pockets. Then she threaded her embroidery needle again for the next round of hand stitching. Once everything was set, she picked up the larger sweatshirt meant for Adrien and pulled it into a tight hug. She rubbed her cheek against the soft fabric she had picked, and dreamed of nestling against it while he was actually wearing it. Maybe as Ladybug. He was her number two simp after all.

The smallest twinge of inspiration nibbled at the back of her mind as she breathed in the imaginary Adrien. Lowering the sweatshirt back to her chaise, she walked back over to the pockets waiting on her ironing board. She ran her fingers over the satin stitching of the ladybug spots on the larger of the two pockets. The pocket for Adrien's shirt. That twinge of inspiration sunk its teeth fully in.

Unthreading her black embroidery floss, Marinette instead laced red through the eye. With hurried care, as if she were afraid of getting caught any moment, Marinette stitched a heart through only the back satin stitching of the center ladybug spot. She checked twice. Three times. Four. She was positive the red thread couldn't be seen through the front.

When she was done, most of the center black spot was covered up with another layer of red thread in a perfectly curved and symmetric heart. It would be in the center of a pocket that could never be turned inside out. He would never see it. And the satin stitching would just match the other spots she had embroidered onto his pocket. He could never feel the difference. Especially with the backing holding everything in place. Adrien would never know the heart was there, but she would. It would be her little secret. Her way of letting him know that she appreciated how much he valued her.

She kissed the heart. "Thank you for trying so hard to keep me safe all the time," she whispered. Running her fingers over the stitching one last time, she laid the backing over the whole embroidered icon. After a few minutes with the steam setting of her iron, the pocket was ready to be added to Adrien's sweatshirt. A few more minutes, and Alya's pocket was ready too.

Off on her desk, the group chat continued to blow up her phone as Alya and Adrien sent more simping updates to each other.

Monday morning, at school, Marinette nervously paced by the front steps with two wrapped gift boxes.

"Hey, girl." Alya waved as she walked up hand-in-hand with Nino. "Whaja got there? Gifts for Adrien?" Her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Kind of?"

"Are you seriously giving them to him this time? Do you need a card? Do you have a card? Did you remember to sign it?" Alya danced around Marinette, trying to inspect the boxes. Marinette pressed the packages to her chest, and tried to shoo Alya back.

"I, uh, I don't need a card. I'm going to hand deliver them." Marinette stood a bit taller, although her heart was sprinting in her chest; terrified that Adrien was going to hate it.

"Girl!" Alya squealed and pulled her best friend into a hug.

"Hey, Nino. Hey, girls. What's going on?" Adrien climbed out of his father's car and strolled over.

Alya again squeaked. She detached from Marinette, and pushed the girl over to Adrien.

Marinette's cheeks burned, and the heat quickly spread towards her ears. Gulping, she held out the gifts to both Adrien and Alya.

"I- what?" Alya stared at the offered gift.

"I made these over the weekend. I hope you like them. If you don't that's totally fine, they really didn't take all that long to make, and I get why you might not want to wear them maybe. It's a silly idea, and I won't be mad if you don't want them. Ya know what?" Marinette pulled the gifts back just as her friends took hold of the boxes. "This was silly. Never mind."

"Marinette," Alya chuckled. "Am I getting a gift right now or what?"

"Yeah, I'm sure it's awesome," Adrien added. "I've loved everything you've made so far, Marinette."

"R-really? You yave? You have!"

Adrien giggled and gently pulled on the box that was originally offered to him. Alya did the same. Shaking slightly, Marinette relinquished the gifts.

Alya tore through the wrapping in a flash. "OMG, girl! This. Is. Amazing!" She tossed the empty shirt box at Nino to hold for her as she held up the sweatshirt. She squealed again before turning the hoodie to show her boyfriend.

"Wow! This is so cool, Marinette!" Adrien left his sweatshirt nestled in the tissue-paper-lined shirt box, and instead ran his fingers over the fine embroidery across the front. When Nino stretched his neck out to peek, Adrien spun his gift around to show off.

"Ya know, now I feel a bit left out," Nino laughed.

Without waiting another moment, Alya dropped her backpack to the sidewalk, and threw her sweatshirt on over her clothes. "This is so comfy! Nino, hug!" He complied, giving a quick and delighted "ooo," a nuzzle of Alya's shoulder, and a thumbs up to Marinette.

Emboldened by Alya wearing her sweatshirt, Adrien took off his messenger bag and white cover shirt. He then threw on his own Marinette-made hoodie. "Oh, wow!" Adrien hugged himself and played with the inside of his sleeve. "See, Marinette? I knew you made something amazing!"

"You- you like me? It! You like it?"

Adrien leaned into her ear, as if whispering a deep secret. "Don't let my father know, but I might have to start living in this." He then gave Marinette a wink before scooping his bag and cover shirt back up.

Marinette knew she was fully beet-red. She could feel it. She didn't really care, though. Adrien liked her sweatshirt, and wanted to wear it all the time. He was even walking into the school, arm-in-arm with Alya, as the two of them proudly pointed out their new hoodies as well as praised who made them.

The sweatshirts quickly became the talk of the day throughout the school, especially due to the second set of embroidery Marinette had done the day before: "#1 LADYBUG SIMP" across the front of Alya's hoodie; "#2 LADYBUG SIMP" across the front of Adrien's.

"Girl, you _have_ to post pictures of these online!" Alya told Marinette as they were leaving for the day. "Do you realize how many you could sell if people saw them?"

"Oh, I dunno. I don't think I have the time right now to start selling my clothing. I just like coming up with ideas for down the road, and making gifts for my friends." She gestured to Alya's sweatshirt.

"Okay, then a fashion shoot to add to your portfolio. Besides, you _know_ I have to post to the Ladyblog about this."

"A fashion shoot? Really?"

"Fashion shoot?" Adrien startled Marinette as he ninja'd up behind the two girls.

"Yeah, we have to show these babies off, don't you think, Adrien?" Alya tugged a little on the front of her sweatshirt to fully display its design.

"That's a perfect idea! I have a little bit of free time tomorrow after school."

The trio agreed to a time and place, and then went their separate ways, smiling widely in anticipation.

Tuesday flew by. Nino helped Marinette set up the backdrop of the photo shoot in the art room. Adrien gave Alya a few pointers for modeling. Alya, for her part, smirked as she whipped out two thick, black sunglasses. She handed one to Adrien, and they were set for the photo shoot.

Marinette's favorite shot was with Adrien casually standing with the hood of his sweatshirt up, sunglasses on, and hands in his pocket. Alya was blasé as she leaned against him; sunglasses also on, elbow resting on his shoulder, and her opposite hand tucked in her kangaroo pocket. Adrien stared straight at the camera, his head adorably cocked slightly towards Alya. She, on the other hand, looked off to her left, as if she didn't even notice the camera. Her aloofness was a perfect way to show her dominance over Adrien with regards to being a Ladybug simp.

That picture became all of their favorites as they went back through the album Nino took. Despite that, it never made it to the Ladyblog. While Marinette was excited that her friends loved her creations so much, she was worried that posting an image of the top two Ladybug simps – declaring themselves so – would just put a target on their backs that Hawk Moth could try to exploit. Begrudgingly, Adrien agreed. Nino also chimed in that Alya posting a picture proclaiming herself the number one Ladybug simp might undermine her journalistic integrity or alienate her readers.

That last point finally convinced Alya, and the image became her phone wallpaper instead. Adrien did the same thing. Which, of course, gave Marinette an excuse to also use it for her wallpaper; a reason to have Adrien as her phone background without anyone questioning it. Perfect.

Once more their hang out was interrupted by Adrien's bodyguard honking the horn outside the school.

"Oh, sorry guys, I have to get going. This was real fun though. A lot more fun than the fashion shoots I take for my father, that's for sure." Adrien then turned to Marinette specifically. "I'd gladly model anything you make, so just let me know if you have any other fashion shoots in mind. I'll make sure to find some time somehow."

Stunned, Marinette slowly nodded, then gave him an awkwardly large grin and two thumbs up.

"Thanks again for the sweatshirt, Marinette." He pulled her into a quick hug. Marinette had already forgotten how soft the hoodie was that she had made him as she rested her chin on his shoulder and slid her hands across his back. She breathed him in.

_This is way better than I imagined it._

Too soon – for Marinette, at least – Adrien broke the hug and waved goodbye to his other two friends. Then he was gone, sprinting down the stairs and out the school's front entrance. Left behind in the art room, Marinette gladly melted into the floor.

Giggling, Alya pet her friend's head. "You okay, girl?"

"He hugged me. He really likes the sweatshirt. I'm in heaven."

Alya and Nino laughed as they helped their friend back to her feet and back home.

Meanwhile, Adrien hummed happily to himself as he stared at the photo of him and Alya in their sweatshirts. He was going to hate it now when the warm weather finally got to Paris, and he wouldn't be able to wear the sweatshirt anymore.

Plagg would also hate that day. He was so much more comfortable riding around in that super soft kangaroo pocket. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to keep that embroidered heart a secret, though. At the very least, it would be entertaining to stare right at that heart whenever he heard Adrien call Marinette "just" a friend, as well as question if she even thought of him as such. If only Adrien knew who he was truly simping for, and how much she simps for him in return.

That would be Plagg's little secret though. Kwamis are allowed those too, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Reviews are always welcome. You can also PM me if you don't wish to leave a public review.
> 
> Now, to clear up a few things with regards to the story universe:
> 
> **\- THIS PART CONTAINS SEASON 3 FINALE SPOILERS -**
> 
> (1) This takes place after the season 3 finale, so Chloe's pissed about losing her miraculous and now hates Ladybug.
> 
> (2) Since it's after Miracle Queen, Alya can no longer be Rena Rouge. Since everyone but Chloe was brainwashed when it happened, they have no clue their identities were compromised, and so they continue to keep their superhero identities a secret. Chloe is too mad about who Ladybug chose and the loss of her own Miraculous to ever out anyone (she's afraid of the backlash or making the former heroes more popular by letting the public know who they were), but she does scoff at Alya, Nino, Max, and Kim more frequently. They're not sure why.
> 
> (3) The cat's out of the bag that Nino knows that Marinette is hard-crushing on Adrien, so she can be a lovesick sap around him (she still tries not to do it too frequently because it's SUUUUUPER weird to gush about her love for Adrien to his best friend)


End file.
